Fact · Voice privacy and security
0.38activations per hour
Across all the TV shows tested in the 2020 study, the Apple HomePod averaged 0.38 activations per hour without the wake word. That was just behind the Invoke with Cortana and the second-generation Echo Dot, which averaged 0.40.
Checked against its source on October 17, 2026
In the source's own words
“followed by Homepod (0.38 activations per hour)”
When Speakers Are All Ears: Characterizing Misactivations of IoT Smart Speakers, Daniel J. Dubois et al., Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETS 2020), 2020, Key findings.
Open the original- What it measures
- The study counted activations across all shows for each device. The Invoke with Cortana and the second-generation Echo Dot with the Echo wake word each averaged 0.40 per hour.
- What it does not show
- Lab measurement with TV audio, from devices tested in 2019 and 2020. Newer models and software may behave differently.